Chesed  In Kehilla, we strive to treat each other with kindness and compassion every day. However, sometimes an extra effort is called for, as when someone is ill, recovering from surgery or injury, adjusting to life with a new baby, or coping with the loss of a loved one. At those times, our Chesed (Loving Kindness) Committee steps up to coordinate our community's support for one another.
The Chesed Committee provides leadership and coordination in helping Kehilla members who are ill, or recovering from surgery, the death of a loved one or the aftermath of a birth. We help by soliciting and organizing help from Kehilla members to pay visits, take meals or provide other practical help such as running errands or driving people to doctor appointments.
The Chesed Committee is only effective when the entire Kehilla community participates in performing these acts of loving kindness for one another.
This past year Laurel Zien, a Chesed Committee member and eldercare expert, gave four workshops on Eldercare for our congregation; Medical Management, Patient Advocacy and Senior Transitions, Long Distance Care and Taking Care of Them – Taking Care of you. These workshops were full of practical information and included lots of time for people to express their family’s needs and to get personalized support. Laurel has promised to do these workshops again in the future, so if you missed the first round please stay tuned. In a growing community it is easy to begin to feel lost, and new members need a way to meet the people in their new Jewish family. So, this past year the Chesed Committee developed and organized a Kehilla-wide brunch. We divided our growing community into nine neighborhoods, found nine wonderful hosts, and people spent the time getting to know their Kehilla neighbors. We hoped that people would connect, re-connect and deepen their personal relationships. We also hope that this will facilitate organizing help in the future for those who will need it – making it easier to both ask for help from Kehilla and for congregants to reach out more to those in need.
This past year we – the Kehilla Community – have helped its members by bringing meals to people post-surgery, visiting and bringing meals to people who have lost a loved one. We have given rides to people so they could go to the doctor, the chiropractor, the store, and to various Kehilla events that they would otherwise have missed. We have called people who have limited mobility, to chat and stay connected. We have visited people who are older and less able to leave their apartments and homes and brought meals to families with new babies. We have shopped for food and done errands for people who are house-bound.
It is a wonderful feeling to both give and to receive this loving kindness from Kehilla. If you are interested in talking to us please do so. We have great fun at our committee meetings, love doing this and encourage all of you to become new members of the Chesed Committee. If you are interested in joining the committee, or would like to speak with someone to find out more about it, please email info@KehillaSynagogue.org. |
